The Most Beautiful Mountain Huts with Lake Views for an Alpine Vacation

If you're planning to hike through the Alps for several days, popular hut tours are the way to go. On a special website of the German Alpine Club, you can check in advance if the huts you want to visit on your hike still have available beds. Often, it's worthwhile or even necessary to reserve in advance to avoid arriving at fully booked accommodations.

To make your hut hike even more spectacular, you can pick huts with particularly beautiful views. Here, we reveal which huts are near mountain lakes or have views of them. One note: The listed overnight prices are for those who are not members of the German Alpine Club.

At an elevation of 1917 meters, in Austria, you'll find the Coburger Hut with a view of the Seebensee. The Drachensee is also nearby. Across from the lake rises the impressive massif of the Zugspitze, and in good weather, you can see the panorama reflected in the crystal-clear water of the Seebensee.

The hut has washrooms with showers offering hot water, as well as toilets, a shoe and drying room. It can accommodate 80 people, with the berths divided into groups of six to eleven. The German Alpine Club's hut sleeping bags, which are also available on-site, must be used. A night costs 27 euros, and with half-board, 62 euros.

The Friesenberghaus in the Zillertal, Austria, is located at 2498 meters in the heart of the Zillertal Alps. When you arrive here, you can look forward to regional delights and a magnificent view of the Friesenberg Lake. During the season, they process an entire cow and calf, and lambs as needed, from head to toe. Fresh eggs come from Zillertal chickens, and the milk products and bread are also regional.

The Friesenberg Hut is open only from June to September and can also be reserved via the German Alpine Club's booking tool. It offers a total of 60 sleeping places. A night in the mattress dormitory with nine to 15 sleeping places costs 30 euros.

The Neue Reichenberger Hut is located in Tyrol at 2586 meters. In summer, it opens its sleeping quarters from mid to late June. By the end of September, the doors are closed again, depending on the weather and snow conditions. Winter operation is not possible as access to the hut is subject to extreme avalanche danger. There is an emergency room, but it has no equipment and serves only as a shelter. Dogs are not allowed at the hut.

Altogether, there are 23 beds in rooms and 28 sleeping places in the mattress dormitory. The Neue Reichenberger Hut is situated in the midst of the East Tyrolean Venediger Group, offering an unobstructed view of the Bödensee - and no, that's not a typo, as the view doesn't stretch as far as Lake Constance.

At 2488 meters in Carinthia, you'll find the Adolf-Noßberger Hut. It is serviced between June and September, with the exact season end depending on the weather. The doors are locked in winter. There are 17 beds in rooms and 33 sleeping places in the mattress dormitory. An emergency winter room offers two places.

The Adolf-Noßberger Hut, often referred to as 'Nossi', is located amid the Carinthian Schober Group in the Hohe Tauern National Park. From here, you overlook not only the Gradensee but also the Großer Friedrichskopf and the Keeskopf. Nearby, there is also an archery range and a climbing park. If the Gradensee is too cold for a swim, a Finnish hot tub with warm water is available. A night in the mattress dormitory costs 32 euros, while a room lodges cost 37 euros. With half-board, prices exceed 70 euros.

In the Ticino Alps in Switzerland, there is a hut that's a true bathing paradise. The Capanna Cadlimo or Cadlimo Hut is surrounded by multiple mountain lakes, and you can choose which (very) cold water to dive into first.

The hut is open from mid-June to mid-October and is situated at 2570 meters. There are 78 sleeping places in the room dormitory, and for those needing shelter in winter, one of the 15 places in the hut's winter room might be available. The hut offers meals and drinks, as well as plenty of space to relax after a strenuous hike. Those wishing to bring a dog should arrange this with the hut warden in advance.

The Erfurter Hut was built in the heart of the Rofan Mountains. It is near the Rofan cable car's bergstation, overlooking the Achensee. It is located right at Mauritzköpfl at 1831 meters. On the sun terrace, after a tough hike, you can enjoy delicious Tyrolean food and refreshing beverages.

What's special about the Erfurter Hut: It's open both in summer and winter, with only a few weeks a year when conditions are poor enough to close. It accommodates 76 people, with 24 beds in rooms and a mattress dormitory. There are two cozy lounges, washrooms with showers, and a ski and drying room. A night in a multi-bed room costs 32 euros, and in the mattress dormitory, 27 euros.

In the Italian Alps, at an altitude of 1383 meters, lies the managed Menaggio Hut. Situated directly on the slopes of Monte Grona in the Ceneri Group, from here you have a picturesque view of Lake Como and the snow-capped peaks of the Valais Alps.

Often referred to as a balcony over Lake Como, it is really easy to reach, making it an ideal destination for beginners. The hut has a total of 20 beds in three rooms with five/six/nine bunks, as well as a dining room and a sun terrace. Overnight stays are available from 30 euros.

The Kärlinger House overlooking Lake Funtensee in the Berchtesgadener Land is unlike the small huts at higher elevations. It has 160 sleeping places. The house is located at 1631 meters in the Berchtesgaden Alps in Bavaria. Additionally, Lake Funtensee is more appealing to bathers than extremely cold mountain lakes. Because the lake is only about five meters deep, it heats up faster, making it more pleasant for swimming in summer.

The Kärlinger House is open from May to October, and in winter, the winter room can only be used by advanced reservation with the Berchtesgaden section. The hut is suitable for longer stays, as it serves as a starting point for many different hikes and mountain tours.

The water is turquoise and crystal-clear, and the mountains surrounding it are rugged and gray. This is where the Karlsbader Hut stands, with a view of the picturesque Laserzsee. When you reach the hut, you'll be at 2260 meters in the heart of the Lienz Dolomites. You can refresh yourself in the hut, and if you're feeling brave, you can take a plunge into the cold mountain lake water next door.

The hut itself has four dormitories with a total of 35 sleeping places. An additional 41 sleeping places are spread across dormitory rooms and double rooms. An overnight stay in the mattress dormitory starts at 24 euros. There is a wood stove in the dining room for warmth, and there's even cell phone reception and Wi-Fi.

In the Ötztal Alps, at 2550 meters, you'll find the Erlanger Hut with a view of Lake Wettersee. The house not only serves as a shelter but is also managed. After a technically not difficult but long ascent, you can look forward to delicious Tyrolean food and cozy beds here. Between the end of June and mid to late September, the hut is open and is even powered by its own hydropower plant.

If you're walking the Central Alps long-distance trail, the hut will be a waypoint for you. There are 40 sleeping places in the mattress dormitory, and in the winter room outside the season, there are six places, though without heating.

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